Drawing a very fine line

February 17, 2005

Is this “plain talk?

bq. “The Iraq conflict, while not a cause of extremism, has become a cause for extremists,” [Porter] Goss said in his first public testimony since taking over the CIA. [ ??"War Helps Recruit Terrorists":http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28876-2005Feb16.html?? ]

However:

bq. “Islamic extremists are exploiting the Iraqi conflict to recruit new anti-U.S. jihadists,” CIA Director Porter J. Goss told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. [ ??"ibid":http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28876-2005Feb16.html?? ]

The latter would seem to contradict the former, at least in a logical universe. Can someone please explain to me how a policy that results in increased terrorist recruiting — which means “more terrorists” — is not causing more extremism?

I think what Porter Goss is really saying is: “I am standing in a hole we dug ourselves but I am not allowed to admit we dug it.”

Posted in Politics